Top Industries for Multilingual Job-Seekers

In today’s world, the ability to speak multiple languages can come in handy in just about any line of work. With the increasing Spanish-speaking population in the Canada, businesses have had to make changes in order to cater to non-English speaking customers, resulting in a substantial rise in the demand for individuals fluent in multiple languages. For this reason, learning a second language can significantly boost the impact of your résumé on potential employers, especially in the following industries:

Customer Service

Perhaps the most obvious market for bilingual job-seekers is in customer service, which involves interactions between businesses and customers. Every company that has customers has to deal in customer service, and companies with customers who don’t speak English have need of bilingual customer service representatives, so employers in this industry are always on the lookout for bilingual applicants.

Sales & Marketing

In order to reach all potential markets, businesses that deal with sales and marketing need employees who understand foreign languages and cultures. Additionally, many retail companies have offices in a variety of locations around the world, which means they require workers who can speak the native languages of the various regions.

Health Care

Regardless of the language you speak, when you get injured or become extremely sick, you have to go to the hospital. As there are so many non-English speaking patients, bilingual hospital workers are needed for a wide variety of tasks, including anything from identifying the patient’s symptoms to explaining medication dosages.

Education

Not surprisingly, the high influx of families that speak primarily Spanish has resulted in a number of children in the school system who are unable speak English fluently. Because of this, there is a very high demand for bilingual teachers and school workers to help those students who want to learn but are hindered by language barriers.

Social Services

With a growing number of families in the Canada who use a language other than English at home, bilingual social workers are essential to keep things working smoothly. For this reason, the social service industry provides a number of employment opportunities for bilingual individuals.

Hospitality

The driving force of the hospitality industry is tourism. Hotels and resorts make a great deal of money off of foreigners, so it is necessary to have staff members on hand who can communicate with clients who don’t speak English.

Law Enforcement & Public Service

Police officers have to deal with high stress situations every day, and a language barrier can make things especially complicated. Consequently, bilingual officers are indispensible for avoiding communication problems that can lead to violence.

Financial services

In the Canada, there is a high demand for loan officers and bank tellers who can converse with Spanish-speaking clients. In addition, insurance companies often look specifically for potential hires who are fluent in Spanish.

So, if you’re seeking employment in one of the following industries and are looking for an edge over other candidates, you might want to consider learning a second language.